"Stop Global Whining"

Stan and I were driving out to see our clean tech client, Global Water, yesterday when we pulled up behind this car with this sign taped in its back window:

“Stop Global Whining”

I had to laugh. The car was right. I think what the Average American gets sick and tired of is all of the whining about the environment and global warming.

And I’m not just whining about the whiners.

Green marketers and sustainability officers need to be sharing stories about their people, products, companies and causes that are actually DOING something about the environment.

Sustainable Companies & Green Marketing Leading by Example

Then, this morning, as I was urging our 16-year-old and his friend Chandler out the door and to school, this spot for SunChips came on the boob tube (My Dad’s term for TV).

Frito Lay is doing a remarkable job with its sustainability, especially with its SunChips product line, featuring the first compostable chip bag. They’ve also done a beautiful job with this spot; no whining, just winning green marketing through compelling, sustainable storytelling.

It not only promotes the environmentally-friendly merits of the chip, but it encourages all of us to get involved to keep our planet habitable.

Do you have an example of other companies leading in sustainability and green marketing by telling their story well? Or, if it’s more fun to point out the whiners, send them our way.

Cheers!

One of the world’s largest snack-food manufacturers, Frito-Lay, has done a remarkable job of marrying its SunChips product, brand and sustainability in a very “doable” expression of its green marketing and mission.

SunChips is a whole-grain snack that was launched in 1991, and has experienced phenomenal growth (about 20% per year). Earlier this decade Frito-Lay recognized the growing intersection among its consumers’ concerns for their health and the health of the planet.

SunChips marketers know that consumers want a tangible, functional benefit (the healthy food snack) with a green benefit. So sustainability became core to their business strategy. Their efforts started in 2007 and they knew they couldn’t do it overnight. So they managed expectations and curbed any whiff of greenwashing by branding this initiative, “One small step at a time.” Their efforts include:

• Purchasing renewable energy credits to offset it’s energy needs
• Using solar power at its Modesto plant
• Reducing the environmental impact of its packaging by introducing a fully compostable chip bag in 2010
• Supporting sustainability initiatives, such as helping to rebuild Greenburg, Kansas into the greenest town in America following a devastating tornado

As an expression of their brand, their website does a wonderful job of engaging their customers to join SunChips in making a difference one small step at a time.

“Can one person make the planet greener, better…happier? We think so. Because big change starts with small ideas… We think everyone has the power to change the world. One small act at a time. Let’s do this together.”

SunChips, with National Geographic, then invited customers to come up with the best Earth-saving idea. These ideas were ccollected on the website, The Green Effect, and each of the five winners received $20,000 to put their idea into action.

Being driven by a core sustainability mission, SunChips’ is a remarkable example of all three legs of our green marketing stool. The tangible healthy qualities of its product are very approachable, and therefore make the larger brand approachable. Powering their plants with solar energy and creating compostable packaging make Frito-Lay’s green efforts with SunChips all the more believable with no fear of greenwashing. Engaging its customers in their “One small step at a time” initiative makes it all very “doable.”

Tell us about an example of a company, cause or organization you know that is approachable, believable and doable?